We just returned from our second trip to Bonaire. We left from Nashville on American Airlines via DFW to San Juan, then on to Bonaire. Our daughter and family joined us in San Juan. All of our flights were on time and all luggage made it without a hitch.

We stayed at Sand Dollar Condo again - only this time we rented a 2BR unit. It worked out very well for the four adults and 20-month-old toddler. Our package included a rental vehicle which was a Toyota Hilux, extended cab pickup from National-Alamo Rental. They were very pleasant to deal with and we had no problems.

The weather was great - two early morning showers which didn't interfere with any of our activities.

We really like the dive setup at Sand Dollar which is Bonaire Dive and Adventure. The staff are very helpful and pleasant. Equipment storage and convenience make diving a breeze whether you are diving Bari Reef, the house reef, or picking up tanks to go elsewhere.

We dove Bari Reef, Angel City, Pink Beach, Andrea I, Oil Slick Leap, and Hilma Hooker. We even did a night dive at Angel City which was an interesting experience. It was my son-in-law's idea.

We enjoyed meals at Mango's, Richard's, Pasabon Pizza, and Lion's Den. We did a a lot of cooking in the condo which saved a lot on food expense. We bought our groceries at the Cultimara Market in town. We did visit the Warehouse Bonaire Supermarket just to see what it was like.

Only one negative: Mosquitoes!!! Bonaire has had more rain than usual for this time of year, I think, and the mosquitoes were on the warpath. They seemed to defy screens and got indoors anyway. So, if you're planning a trip in the near future, be sure to pack your repellent and maybe even some flying insect spray.

Summary: Another great Bonaire experience. Now we'll start planning for the next trip. Film is at the processor. I took about six rolls of underwater pictures. If any of them turn out I may post some later.

Thanks to all you BTers who help to keep the experience alive between trips. I visit this website almost daily. It helps to maintain sanity.

Marvin and Donette Lowman

Thanks for sharing your trip with us...it's always great to hear good results.

We had mosquitoes looking for meals (us!) around sunset every evening during our trip, too...first time this has ever happened to us during our trips to Bonaire. We did not have any rain during our stay (none to speak of) but they were there....used lots of OFF with deet but I hate to put that stuff on ....greasy and stinky and yech chemicals that stain furniture, etc. Hopefully next year will be a little better.

It is still worth the trip, for sure!!

Thanks again for posting your report and we would love to see some of your pics when you get your film back. Ayo. Carole

Thanks for the report. Mosquitoes love me....we always carry our bug spray (with Deet) but after reading a recommendation on BT last fall I tried Avon's Bug Guard. This was wonderful..not ONE bite during our 2 week stay!!

Linda, thanks for the suggestion of Avon Bug Guard. We'll have to try that next time. I'm like Carol, I hate to use the stuff. So, if there is something better than OFF, I'm glad to hear about it.

Here are just a few of the pictures I took underwater using an inexpensive Sealife SportDiver camera. I have a lot to learn about underwater photography, so don't be too critical

This is my first attempt at uploading pictures, so I hope it works.

Marvin,

Very nice pictures - thanks so much for sharing. I never get tired of looking at pictures from Bonaire :-)

Belinda

Marvin

Thanks for the pics, the more I see and read about BON, the more excited I get, August 7th can't get here fast enough. What site were these pics taken?

Lorraine

Marvin, you did a great job! A turtle, too!!! Wow!! Thanks for posting them for us to enjoy. Carole

Lorraine,

We dove six different sites (see above) and I wish I had kept a record of which roll of film was taken at which site. I took a lot of pictures at Bari Reef since most of our diving was done there. That's where we saw the Gold Spotted Eel and the Scorpion Fish (4th picture down, he blends in well with the coral). We saw the turtle at Oil Slick Leap. We also saw a turtle at Angel City but I didn't include that picture here.

Marvin

From what I've been reading, we will probably spend most of our time diving Bari Reef, so I will look for those critters. Yes your Scorpion fish is very well camouflaged, the spots on the pectoral fins are always the giveaway. I've read that there is a resident manta cruising up and down the reef, did you see him/her?

The Avon bug guard is GREAT STUFF..It doesn't smell bad, has a moisturizer & also a sunblock. Can't beat it!!

I'd love to see a manta ray but, no, we didn't see it.

Marvin